May is National Beef Month. First, we celebrated by grilling up one of the Gottsch-Koehler Family’s favorite ways to eat beef — mouthwatering Santa Maria-style Tri-Tip Steak! Now, we are transforming the leftover meat into the BEST. BREAKFAST. EVER.
What is a Tri-Tip Steak?
The Tri-Tip is exactly what its name implies: a triangular cut of meat located at the “tip” of the bottom sirloin. It’s a boneless cut of beef shaped sort of like a boomerang when fully trimmed, and the meat is lean but contains a lot of marbling. It goes by a variety of names: Bottom Sirloin Roast or “Butt;” Triangle Roast; and others, like “Newport Steak,” “Santa Maria Steak,” and “California’s Cut” which recall the cuts’ deep roots in California cuisine.
One of the most popular ways to prepare Tri-Tip Steak is through methods of traditional Santa Maria-style BBQ. This specific style of barbeque hails from the Santa Maria Valley in California. In Santa Maria-style barbecue, the Tri-Tip is prepared over a Red Oak fire. It’s so delicious that the preparation has become synonymous with the region since it gained popularity in the 1950s. If you are lucky enough to have a Santa Maria-style grill, which allows you to raise and lower the cooking surface to adjust the heat, it will make your life a little easier — but you don’t need one! Check out our other recipe for more tips!
The Right Way to Slice a Tri-Tip Steak
Even if you’ve perfectly cooked your Tri-Tip Steak, the meat can still become tough and chewy if it’s sliced incorrectly. Doing so can be tricky if you aren’t paying attention because the cut has two distinct grain patterns. If you are planning to have leftovers, as this recipe highly suggests, reserve a portion of the steak whole. Slice it after reheating so that it retains more of its natural juices better and does not overcook during the reheating process.
To keep your Tri-Tip tender and juicy, do these three things when slicing the meat:
- Allow it to rest properly. Typically, that should be at least 5-10 minutes but it may require a longer resting time depending on the thickness and weight of the meat. (While you wait, make sure to sharpen your knife!)
- First, cut the steak in halves where the two grains intersect.
- Reposition each portion of the steak on the cutting board and then slice each against the grain.
Santa Maria-Style Tri-Tip Steak Biscuit Sandwich
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
Put your leftover Santa Maria-style Tri-Tip Steak to great use the next morning with this mouthwatering spin on breakfast classics: Our recipe for Santa Maria-Style Tri-Tip Steak Biscuit Sandwiches!
INGREDIENTS
- 24 ounces Santa Maria-Style Tri-Tip Steak cooked, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp bacon grease or other cooking oil
- 4 eggs, fried
- 4 buttermilk biscuits, warm
RECIPE BY:
Raquel Gottsch Koehler & Sean Koehler
Love this recipe? You can find more of Raquel’s family favorites over on The Twisted Skillet Website!
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place leftover Santa Maria-Style Tri-Tip Steak in the oven at 250 degrees. Warm the meat until the internal temperature is 125-130 degrees.
- Remove meat from the oven and cover with foil. Rest for 5 minutes.
- At the same time, heat a skillet on medium, and add 2 tablespoons of bacon grease (or your favorite cooking oil).
- Fry eggs over easy in the skillet seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste. When the eggs are the desired doneness remove and set aside.
ASSEMBLY
- Remove the foil from the meat and thinly slice the steak if needed.
- Cut the biscuit in half. Pile on a generous amount of thinly sliced meat on the biscuit.
- Place the egg on top being careful not to bust the yolk.
- Serve open-faced or as a biscuit sandwich.
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